Surface Modification of Rice Husk Ash by Ethanol-assisted Milling to Reinforce the Properties of Natural Rubber/Butadiene Rubber Composites

Rice husk ash(RHA), obtained by pyrolysis of rice husks, can be used as a potential reinforcing filler for rubber composites. In this work, ball milling in ethanol(ethanol-assisted milling) was used to hydroxylate the surface of RHA, promoting the graft modification of bis-(β-triethoxysilylpropyl)-tetrasulfide(Si69). The obtained modified RHA(RHA-EM-Si69) was filled into the natural rubber/butadiene rubber(NR/BR) composites, and the filler-rubber interactions were enhanced. In consequence, RHA-EM-Si69 filled NR/BR composites showed overall improvement in the mechanical properties compared with RHA filled NR/BR composites. The tear strength increased from 13.37 kN/m to 34.71 kN/m, and the tensile strength increased from 1.84 MPa to 7.75 MPa. Carbon black(N774) was also used for comparison under the same conditions. This method provides a potential for promoting the value of RHA in rubber industry.